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| MCPHETERS LAKE |
Ryder Lake is located in the Middle Basin, approximately eight miles from the Christmas Meadows Trailhead. When I first visited in September of 2009, I remember being pretty worn out after the first six miles of the hike, and decided to set my tent up in a nice meadow just past the crossing of Stillwater Creek. Once my tent was set up, I day-hiked up to Ryder and McPheters Lakes. These are both large, pretty lakes located around 11,000 feet in elevation. What makes the Middle Basin so nice is the surrounding mountain peaks. There are several peaks around 12,500 feet high surrounding the basin, including Hayden Peak, Mount Agassiz and Spread Eagle Peak. It's hard to take a photo to truly capture the feel of this basin.
The lakes and streams here also full of fish. In my two days in the Middle and West Basins I'm sure I saw over a hundred fish swimming around the various streams and shorelines. The Middle Basin is a great alternative to Amethyst Lake if you are trying to beat the crowds. I was in this basin on the Friday and Saturday of Labor Day Weekend and did not see anyone else until I made it back below the Amethyst Lake turnoff. Hiking in September also meant that the mosquitoes were all dead. September is my favorite time to hike the Uintas.
In August of 2011 I hiked the Middle Basin again, camping in the same meadow I had camped in in 2009. Everything was a little greener in August, and the snow on the mountain peaks made them a little prettier, but there were also mosquitoes and a few more people on the trail. You have to decide what is most important to you when picking a time to hike. On my second visit I had more time to explore the basin so I checked out the unnamed lakes located just below Ryder Lake. These lakes ended up being my favorite part of the hike. I think they were even prettier than Ryder Lake and McPheters Lake. Satellite maps of the area show there being numerous ponds below Ryder Lake that I would love to explore if I'm ever in the area again.
